Publications by authors named "Sidra Zafar"
Article Synopsis
- * Out of 60 patients reviewed, most were middle-aged males from the U.S., with a significant proportion experiencing neurological issues and diabetes as a common health factor.
- * Key eye symptoms included multifocal chorioretinal lesions and inflammation, with many eyes not receiving treatment; the study highlights the importance of considering WNVI in older patients showing eye issues after recent flu-like symptoms.
Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in young children around the world and an important cause of LRTI in the elderly. The available treatments and FDA-approved vaccines for RSV only lessen the severity of the infection and are recommended for infants and elderly people.
Methods: We focused on developing a broad-spectrum vaccine that activates the immune system to directly combat RSV.
Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the IOLMaster 700 foveal scans to detect foveal pathology compared with a standard swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) device.
Results: One hundred seventy eye scans of 95 patients were included in the final analyses. Ninety-nine (58.
The Internet of bio-nano things (IoBNT) is an emerging paradigm employing nanoscale (~1-100 nm) biological transceivers to collect in vivo signaling information from the human body and communicate it to healthcare providers over the Internet. Bio-nano-things (BNT) offer external actuation of in-body molecular communication (MC) for targeted drug delivery to otherwise inaccessible parts of the human tissue. BNTs are inter-connected using chemical diffusion channels, forming an in vivo bio-nano network, connected to an external ex vivo environment such as the Internet using bio-cyber interfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To assess risk factors for worse visual acuity (VA) outcomes after intraocular lens (IOL) exchange, and the most common postsurgical complications.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Participants: Eyes from patients 18 years of age and older in the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) that underwent IOL exchange in the United States between 2013 and 2019.
Aims: To determine endophthalmitis rates and risk factors following intraocular surgeries in the Medicare population.
Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional study from 2016 to 2019 in Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. 100% Medicare claims were used to identify eyes that underwent intraocular surgery.
Importance: Physician-patient concordance in sex and race is associated with improved patient outcomes. Studies have explored diversity among ophthalmology residents and faculty, but to our knowledge, not among ophthalmology fellows.
Objective: To assess diversity by sex and race and ethnicity among fellowship applicants in ophthalmology subspecialties and compare match rates by applicants' sex and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) status.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the reticulated platelet count between patients having thrombocytopenia secondary to autoimmune destruction (immune thrombocytopenia {ITP}), bone marrow failure, and healthy controls who presented to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2021 to October 2022 in the Department of Hematology, National Institute of Blood Disease (NIBD) Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, that involved examining three groups: 30 patients with immune thrombocytopenia, 30 patients with thrombocytopenia secondary to reduced production from bone marrow, and 30 healthy controls. The study utilized the Sysmex XN-1000 (Hyogo, Japan: Sysmex Corporation) automated hematology analyzer to perform a complete blood count (CBC) test.
Introduction: Prophylactic clotting factor infusion regimens to prevent bleeding and joint deformity has become the standard of care in severe hemophilia A patients.
Aim: To assess low-dose factor prophylaxis in our population as an alternative approach to managing severe hemophilia A.
Methods: A prospective cohort study that included 68 hemophilia A patients divided into two groups, i.
We investigate trends in cornea fellowship positions filled over time and applicant characteristics associated with matching into cornea fellowship. Characteristics of cornea fellowship applicants were assessed using deidentified 2010 to 2017 San Francisco (SF) Match data. Publicly available SF Match cornea fellowship data including the number of participating programs, number of positions offered, number of positions filled, percentage of positions filled, and number of vacancies from 2014 to 2019 were also analyzed as data from 2010 to 2013 were unavailable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo describe the cornea and keratorefractive surgeries experience of U.S. ophthalmology residents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents are currently the mainstay of treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Although effective, data on their systemic safety remains inconclusive, particularly in high-risk patient groups.
Objective: To explore the systemic safety of intravitreal anti-VEGF agents among patients with diabetes.
Purpose: To estimate incidence and evaluate demographic risk factors and visual acuity (VA) outcomes of open-globe injuries requiring surgical repair in the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight).
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Participants: Patients with open-globe injury repairs (OGRs) were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes (65275, 65280, 65285, 65286, 65235, 65260, and 65265) from 2014 through 2018 in the IRIS Registry.
Background: This study was carried out to determine the frequency of CD34 positivity in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) in our population and to report its association with the clinicopathological profile at the time of diagnosis.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan, from March 2020 till December 2020.Newly diagnosed patients were selected, from both genders and all age groups.
Purpose: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of international medical graduates (IMGs) applying for ophthalmology fellowship match.
Methods: Design Case control study. Setting San Francisco Fellowship Match data between 2010 and 2017.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the impact of prognostic markers on the outcomes of Hodgkin lymphoma.
Methods: It is a cross-sectional, single-center study. A total of 60 patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma were recruited for the study over five years between 2016 to 2020.
Objectives: To analyse the effect of pupil dilation on intraocular lens instrument IOLMaster 500 biometric measurements, and to determine the effect of these measurements on intraocular lens power calculations in Asian eyes.
Methods: The prospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, between January and April 2017, and comprised all patients scheduled for cataract surgery who underwent scanning with IOLMaster 500. For each patient, pre-dilation and post-dilation measurements were taken.
Objective: To describe trends in the surgical and medical retina fellowship match and applicant characteristics associated with matching in retina fellowship.
Design: Retrospective study.
Subjects: Ophthalmology fellowship applicants who applied through the San Francisco (SF) Match.
Background/aims: To produce an internationally developed rubric to assess surgical competency in open globe management.
Methods: An international expert panel of seven ophthalmologist educators developed a standardized competency-based rubric. The steps to perform an open globe repair were outlined.
Background: Liver cancer (LC) is the most devastating disease affecting a large set of populations in the world. The mortality due to LC is escalating, indicating the lack of effective therapeutic options. Immunotherapeutic agents may play an important role against cancer cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The study aimed to evaluate the causes of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy and its management along with the outcome in the COVID-19 era.
Methods: Recruitment for this prospective, cross-sectional observational study of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy (platelet counts <100x10/L) was done from January 2017 to August 2020 at the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) after taking the patients' informed consent. Complete clinical and lab profile of patients was also collected.
Purpose Of Review: In this review, we focus on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening and risk stratification and factors to consider when implementing AI algorithms in the clinic.
Recent Findings: AI algorithms have been adopted, and have received regulatory approval, for automated detection of referable DR with clinically acceptable diagnostic performance. While these metrics are an important first step, performance metrics that go beyond measures of technical accuracy are needed to fully evaluate the impact of AI algorithm on patient outcomes.